Not really a sport-utility or minivan, the PT Cruiser has been well received by our staff. It offers versatility and eye-catching styling not found among compact cars. Its only drawback is tepid acceleration. The loaded Volkswagen Passat also makes it to the Best Buy list this year, despite relatively high prices.

Recommended choices include the vanilla Mazda 626 and the all-wheel drive Subaru Outback/Legacy. Both offer roomy alternatives at fair prices.

Though still the most popular Pontiac by a wide margin, Grand Am slipped 8.5 percent in calendar-2000 sales and another 14.4 percent year-over-year in the first nine months of 2001. That compares with a 30-percent rise in 1999, which now must seem like the "good old days" to Pontiac dealers.

Industry tipsters see few further changes for Grand Am until its scheduled 2005-model redesign on General Motors' new Episilon platform. Chevy's Malibu and a second-generation Saturn L-Series will be underskin sisters. Grand Am is allegedly wider but little longer than the current model and has a roomier interior.